“But you got diagnosed with dementia in large part to that.”

He put his hand on my shoulder. “Son, I’ll admit when your mom died, I gave up on life and on the ranch. I hired the wrong inexperienced hand who probably mixed up the feed bag with the lye bag because he was just that stupid. I didn’t care about anything. Many nights I prayed I’d follow after your mother. And it wasn’t like you put me in a home. It was a retirement community. I didn’t want to be there, but I was the one to put myself in that position.”

“You were pissed off.”

“Damn right. I was a grown man who’d lost his right to his own choices.”

“You seem happier now.”

He showed his teeth. “Sunshine is like the daughter I never had. She listens to my stories. She cooks as good as your mother, but if I see your mom in the next life, I’ll never admit that.” That got a laugh out of me. “And don’t think about getting rid of Sunshine because I’m not as dim-witted as you think. I’ve got money too and I’ll pay her to stay.”

“I like her too and someone needs to take care of you.” I waited a beat. “You have nothing to say about Avery being pregnant?”

He shrugged. “It happens. It happened to your mother, and I can’t say I wasn’t a lucky son of a bitch when that one night with her turned into the most beautiful life. She saved mine, you know. I was playing loose and fast with everything. I’d messed up my arm, lost the baseball scholarship for college. I’d joined the circuit set on killing myself in the ring with a bull. And then there was your mother singing the national anthem on opening day and I was lost, son. I’d had plenty of women. I thought my shit didn’t stink. But her? I was ready to lie over shit so she wouldn’t step in it.” His smile was wistful. Everything he’d said about Mom was how I felt about Avery.

“I don’t know how to fix things between Avery and me.” It was a question I probably would have asked Aiden, but Dad stood there all wise. I needed him in that moment.

“I can’t say that it was smooth sailing with your mom from the start. We had our obstacles to overcome. What saved us was working through those obstacles together.”

He didn’t have to say more. “Thanks, Dad.”

I found Avery curled up in my bed, asleep. I covered her with an afghan my grandmother had made for me when I went to college before she passed. Then I left the room to make some calls.

When I was done, I asked Sunshine to look out for Avery while I ran an errand. When I arrived at my destination, I was grateful to see the truck in the drive. I parked and knocked on the door.

The man looked as though he’d aged since the last time I saw him. He stood in a robe and made no move to let me in. “Is Avery with you?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then what can I help you with?”

“Avery is going to have our baby. Which means you and I are going to have to be in each other’s lives, potentially forever.”

“Yeah, and?”

“And I don’t want to hate you. If my dad can forgive you, I suppose I can, too. But if you ever pull some shit like what you did to my father or to Avery and your wife, we will have words.”

I extended my hand, and he shook it, but didn’t let go.

“If we’re setting boundaries, let me just say if you hurt my daughter, we’ll have more than words.”

I nodded, and he let go. “There’s one other thing. I’m taking Avery to Chicago to see the best doctor in the area to keep the gossip from traveling far and wide around here. She needs things. I assume you can grab her some clothes and whatever else she might need. She’ll be gone for at least a day or maybe two. I’ll let her tell you when she’ll be back for work.”

“I can do that. But I have a question for you.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you climb out of my girl’s window?” he asked. My grin said it all. “Good thing I didn’t find you.”

“Why is that? Because I’m a Bowmen?”

“Because she’s my only child and the best of me. If I’ve done anything good in this life, it’s her. And she deserves a man who will worship the ground she walks on.”

And just like that, we came to an understanding between men. It was up to Avery and me to solve the rest.

THIRTY-TWO

Avery

An annoying alarm woke me up, and I found Nate curled around me. A hint of light crept through the window. Had I really slept that long?

Tags: Terri E. Laine Erotic
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